Abstract

Cataract is a very common disease of the eye lens known since ancient times. Different mechanisms are responsible for the biogenesis of cataract but most scientists agree with the theory that cataract formation can be attributed to metabolism disorders in the lens. Instrumental neutron activation analysis has been applied in this work for the determination of the following trace elements: antimony, cobalt, iron, rubidium, selenium and zinc in human lenses with mature cataract. The results are statistically treated and correlated with age and sex of patients. Based on these findings, the concentration of elements studied does not have any correlation with the age and/or sex of the patients, i.e. when the lens becomes totally opaque.